Coons: Transition to sustainable energy is critical

During a stop in Lewes July 6, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons visited with the Cape Gazette Editorial Board. The Democrat talked about a variety of topics including the fate of newspapers, wind power and sustainable energy, and the high cost of medication.

He also took a tour of the new Beebe Healthcare Specialty Surgical Hospital and met with new Lewes Mayor Andrew Williams.

In support of wind energy

Although Coons said he supports wind energy, he respects the fact that people have worked their whole lives to purchase a house with a view of the ocean. “It’s not an illegitimate concern,” he said. “We have the technology to move wind turbines out farther in the ocean. We need to find incentives to make that happen. We need to figure out how to reduce their visibility.”

He said lease areas exist that would place turbines out of view of the shoreline.

In addition, Coons said, it’s important to listen to concerns of commercial and recreational fishermen. “We have to respect a strong balance,” he added.

He said job opportunities for Delawareans also need to be created as wind power becomes a reality along the Delaware and Maryland coast.

More nuclear power

“At some point, we will get off coal and natural gas. I support a transition to more nuclear power. The technology has changed, with smaller units and better technology that are safer and more cost effective,” he said. 

He said the nuclear waste problem still has to be addressed.

Coons said temperatures around the globe are rising dramatically, leading not only to sea-level rise, but more frequent storm periods. “Natural disasters cost us $125 billion last year, and they are only going to go up. Federal spending is going off the chart, and there is no way we will be able to sustain this,” he said.

Capping medication costs

Coons said it’s possible before Congress takes its summer vacation that some form of prescription drug legislation could pass. “Prescription prices are way too high, and the cost of diabetic medication is obscene,” he said.

He said he has firsthand experience with the high cost of insulin for his father-in-law, who has passed away. He said he picked up an insulin prescription for his father that cost $500 out of pocket. “There is a real chance that we’ll get a cap on the price of diabetic medication,” he said. “The government does not have the ability to negotiate prices, even though the government is the largest purchaser of medications.”

That could change if the Senate passes pending legislation that would, for the first time, authorize Medicare to negotiate the price of some high-cost prescription drugs, cap out-of-pocket costs for Part D prescription drug plan members at $2,000 a year, and levy tax penalties on drugmakers that increase the prices of their products more than the rate of inflation.

Compromise at the core

The senator said the most calls from constituents center around gun violence and the high price of gas. And the recent Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade has polarized citizens even more, he said.

Coons said the key to dealing with volatile issues is compromise. “It doesn't work to just get angry. Compromise is at the core of these issues,” he said. “We have to realize that we can never change others’ opinions.”

He said before his Washington, D.C. staff left for their Thanksgiving holiday last year, they had a how-to-talk-to-your-family session. He said because they work for the government, they are targets for those who have strong opinions about the state of affairs.

On the media

The senator said the media is critical to the nation's democracy. “We need a robust independent media to especially report what government officials don't want covered,” he said.

Coons, 58, has served as the state’s junior senator since 2010. Prior to that, he served as president of the New Castle County Council from 2001-05 and as county executive from 2005-10. The chair of the Senate Ethics Committee is an Amherst College and Yale Law School graduate.